2 August 2026 – 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time ‘A’
Isaiah 55:1–3; Romans 8:35, 37–39; Matthew 14:13–21
Homily
Let us first place this account in the context in which Matthew sets it in his Gospel. This is a difficult time in Jesus’ life. On the one hand, he had been teaching the crowds who followed Him using many parables, but the people remained deaf to His message. On the other hand, He has just learnt that Herod, who had John the Baptist beheaded, believes that He, Jesus, is John the Baptist risen from the dead. Jesus, whose hour had not yet come, then got into a boat to withdraw to a solitary place. But now the crowds – those very same crowds who had remained deaf to His teaching – discovered where He was, no doubt fascinated by the messenger, even if they did not receive the message. Much like what happens at great religious gatherings throughout history, including in our own time.